Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category

I know you hear it all the time, muscle weighs more than fat but that simply isn’t true. 1 lb of fat weighs the same as 1 lb of muscle. The issue at hand is the density of both materials. Muscle is more dense than fat and that is what we need to understand here. Muscle is clearly heavier by volume than fat but as far as weight goes, 1 lb of muscle on the scale is the same as 1 lb of fat on the scale. Now a 1 lb lump of fat will take up more space, hence, volume, than a five pound lump of muscle. I hope that makes a bit more sense now.

Picture a person who weighs 130 lbs with 15% body fat, they will look much smaller and leaner than a person at 130 lbs with 30% body fat. They weigh the same but since the fat is big and lumpy and takes up more volume that person is bigger. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller and leaner.

This leads to the bottom line. Get rid of your scale. Do not weigh yourself obsessively, it won’t tell the whole truth. It would do better for your self-confidence and for the truth about how you are doing with your workouts if you take measurements (both body fat and with a tape measure). Next thing you know you’ll be fitting into those jeans you haven’t worn in a while and you wouldn’t have even expected it.

Go ahead and do your measurements now…go here to do your measurements right.

I had the privilege of again being a part of this years Special Olympics “Wall of Honor” for those athletes participating in the Summer Games in events that consisted of swimming and track/field. As I stood there with other officers looking at and greeting the families of the Special Olympians and the Olympians themselves, some who needed the assistance of walkers or who were in wheelchairs, I saw them smiling and full of happiness that they were participating in an activity that brings them joy and some freedom from their illnesses or disabilities.All of these athletes try their hardest, some wanting just to finish the race and some going for gold, but I believe that by them realizing they can do something active with the disabilities they have, then that brings them a huge amount of happiness. So the next time it comes to you doing something active for your health and you hear yourself say, “Oh, I am too tired”. “My legs are sore”. “I don’t have time”, think about how lucky you are to be as healthy as you are and that you do not have to have anyone looking after you all of the time. I am extremely grateful to be as healthy as I am and be able to do the things that I am capable of doing. So, tell me again what’s your excuse for not getting out and about and living the healthiest and happiest life you have been given to live?

Today was a good day because my Insanity t-shirt came in the mail. This is a big deal for me because to some it is just a “simple thing”, a freakin’ t-shirt, but I had to earn it. Two months of a very tough program. Before and after photos. Measurements of weight lost and inches lost. This was huge for me! A program that I stuck to, without fail, and received a very “simple thing” at the end. Kind of like when you played sports as a kid and when you won, they gave you that little, cheap, plastic trophy and you thought it was the best thing ever.

For those who don’t like the daily grind of a gym, find a program that works for you and that you can stick with. Variety is the spice of life and that is true when it comes to staying in shape and working out. Mix it up because even “simple things mean a lot”.

So I thought I’d make a little video for everyone to watch. We will try keep the videos coming and change the up the topics every so often to make them more exciting. This one is just an intro to me and my background. Hope you enjoy.

So, as much as I really do not want to post half naked photos of myself for the world to see I suppose I will do it. The only reason I am doing it is because I actually surprised myself by seeing that there was actually quite a difference made by doing Insanity for 60 days. I bet if I stuck to the nutrition program that it came with I would have done much better. My Fit Test results today were better than the last time as were Michelle’s. I will have to do another post with Day 1 vs. Day 60 results because they are quite amazing. As much as you don’t think you improved just seeing the numbers down on paper show you actually improved a lot. Those darn Power Jumps just kill me though, holy cow. Wow. Oh, and seriously, Michelle video taped me doing a Push Up Jack, wow, not pretty. Ok, enough is enough. I’ll get the photos now and put them up for all to see. Be nice or I won’t put anymore photos up. Or, maybe I’ll substitute Michelle’s body for mine next time.

Look, the way I ended up losing all of the weight was by portion size, eating better (not having those hamburgers and sodas) and of course exercise. There a lot of fad diets out there that push cutting carbs or drinking Slim Fast all day long. That may work temporarily, but unfortunately it is not a healthy or happy lifestyle to live by.

You will lose weight in the short term, but what do you do after that? I want to give you a few short ideas on how to feel better about yourself and live a healthier and happier lifestyle. You actually need to eat food throughout the day (what a concept). Eat a few small meals every few hours. Small healthy meals that would consist of fruit, dairy, minimal carbs, protein, vegetables.

For example, start your day with yogurt and egg whites. (Michelle likes to add a mucho amount of Tabasco to egg whites, which will stimulate your metabolism.) A few hours later, you could have a snack of almonds and string cheese or a banana and some peanut butter-almond butter is very tasty. Remember to always have carbs with proteins. Having as many vegetable as you want is not only good for you, but would not cost your waistline anything (except dousing it with cheese, ranch dressing, butter will add to that waist of yours).

At dinner time try and bake your chicken in lieu of frying your red meat or chicken. White meat is healthier than red meat and in fact I cut out all red meat, which contributed to me losing weight. When cooking rice, use brown instead of white and use whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta.

Smaller portion sizes is key as well to losing weight and getting the healthiest I have been. These little changes will result in HUGE changes down the road you will feel better and look better.